The Uniform Reporting of Treatment-Related Morbidity

The changes in normal tissues caused by radiotherapy must be monitored and recorded with the same care as is given to that of tumor control. The EORTC/RTOG system, the Chassagne glossary, and the new system recording the individual elements of morbidity have been used for this purpose and are valuable in clinical research and in randomized controlled clinical trials. The effect of morbidity on the quality and length of life is most important and may be used alone to assess the overall safety of routine care. The precise measurement of the changes visible in normal tissues, together with measurement of altered function, such as that of the salivary glands and sweat glands, is important in determining any modification of effects of altered fractionation and of the addition of cytotoxic agents and biological dose modifiers to clinical radiotherapy.